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Guide to Hobart's galleries

This is not a comprehensive listing of all Hobart galleries
(I’d be here all day), but rather the ones that I regularly or
semi-regularly visit and/or ones relevant to contemporary art and this
blog. It's a much needed update to the previous version, which can be viewed here.

The Plimsoll is the University of Tasmania’s gallery, located at the Tasmanian School of Art on Hobart’s waterfront. The
gallery is a little tricky to find as it is tucked away underneath the
art school, which is housed in the majestic old IXL jam factory. The
gallery has a rotation of three week curated exhibitions with an
emphasis on international and interstate artists, although there are
often quite a few artworks by Tasmanian artists on show. The
Plimsoll Gallery, in my opinion, is one of the best contemporary art
spaces in Hobart, showing an eclectic mix of exhibitions, which are
usually quite challenging and cutting-edge, but occasionally regresses a
little. Unfortunately, over the summer, in Hobart’s
busiest tourist season (and when the gallery’s icicle-like temperatures
are actually productive), the gallery is used for research post-graduate
examinations, and is closed during the week. However, the
post-graduate examinations are generally open to the public the weekend
following examination, so check out the gallery’s website before you
visit. [2013 update: the Plimsoll gallery lost its Arts Tasmania funding in 2012 and has suffered greatly as a result. I'm hoping Arts TAS will reinstate the funding asap so that Plimsoll programming can recommence]

To
get to the Plimsoll, you have to walk through the windy art school
tunnel, which houses the Tasmanian University Union-run gallery,
Entrepôt. All students enrolled at the University are
eligible to apply, both postgrad and undergrad, and as a result, the
gallery showcases a wide range of art styles, and more notoriously,
standards. Nevertheless, there are few restrictions placed
on exhibitors at the gallery (I think there are three rules: you can’t
burn the gallery down, brick the door up, or sleep there), and I’ve seen
some pretty wacky exhibitions there over the years. [2013 update: the gallery has suffered a bit because of Voluntary Student Unionism. I'm hoping the new services and amenities fees charged by the university will be channeled into this excellent training gallery]

CAST is similar in its focus on contemporary art to the Plimsoll, but with an emphasis on local art. Located
in Tasma St, North Hobart, they
have a strangely difficult space to show work in despite its regular
cubic shape (for some reason even the most imposing sculptures tend to
shrink in the space). As the name of the organization
suggests, CAST provides services beyond the gallery, assisting artists
with grants, advocacy and other such necessities. They also have some great annual programs such as the Emerging Curator Mentorship, the 3 into 1 show for emerging local artists [2013 update: this annual show has now been renamed Shotgun and is no longer restricted to emerging artists], and the fun CAST members show (December), which by sheer necessity, is hung salon style. [2013 update: CAST also grants rent-free studios to four artists each year]

Inflight
is Hobart’s (relatively) long-running Artist Run Initiative (ARI). My previous guide to Hobart galleries described Inflight as "more challenging to find than the Plimsoll and CAST combined…
plus some. Inflight is hidden behind the toilets, which
are behind the garbage bins, behind the carpark, behind Kaos café..." Not any more. The gallery has recently moved to new premises on the CBD's fringe, 100 Goulburn St. The
work there often wants to be innovative and [insert contemporary art
buzz word here], with various level of success, but it’s always worth a
look. While you're there, make sure you have a coffee and a bite to eat at Pigeon Hole, which is just across the road.

The TMAG is hit-and-miss when it comes to contemporary visual art, although there's a lot more being exhibited than when I first moved to Tasmania nearly 8 years ago. The museum is currently undergoing a much needed redevelopment, and thus the available gallery space has shrunk significantly. It's still not certain where the money's going to come from, so I don't want to guess at a finish date to the renovations. [2013 update: The first stage of the renovations is complete and entry is now via the Dunn St carpark]

The church-turned-house-turned-gallery, Detached, was unveiled in 2008 to co-host Mike Parr’s The Tilted Stage with the TMAG. It’s privately owned, but behaves like a well-endowed public gallery when it's (rarely) open. To be honest, I don’t really know much about the gallery, but I like what I’ve seen so far. Detached is located in Campbell St, just around the corner from the TMAG.

[2013 Update: The Carnegie Gallery is now closed. I can't forgive Hobart City Council for this move.]
The
Carnegie Gallery is a Hobart City Council-run gallery hidden above the
Maritime Museum in Argyle St (this hiding-the-gallery thing is turning
out to be a massive theme in this post). It has an
eclectic range of exhibitions, ranging from the best that contemporary
art can offer, to the Australian Glass Society’s members’ exhibition. Importantly though, it's the only art space in Hobart that caters for local mid- and late-career artists. Ignore the Maritime Museum attendants when you enter. They’ll glare at you, but just keep walking up the grand stairs.

The
Salamanca Arts Centre houses a number of galleries. The
largest gallery is the Long Gallery, which again has an eclectic mix, and they’re less discriminating than most of the other galleries
listed above. Pretty much anyone can hire the gallery One weekend you might find a blaring sound
art exhibition and a room full of finches jumping on amped up guitars,
the next you’ll stumble across a show by the Tasmanian Embroidery Club. This week, for instance, a fundraising exhibition boasts 'Tasmania's Top Artists', even though I've never heard of any of them and the paintings are appalling. Go figure. Next to the Long Gallery is the Sidespace and on the very top floor is the appropriately titled Topspace. The
Long Gallery, Sidespace, Topspace, and Kelly’s Garden (an outside,
gravel-filled space) all accept proposals, and there’s usually at least
one good exhibition on at any one time.

Salamanca Arts Centre is also home to a couple of artist coops, and if you want to view the work of local jewellers, Handmark is excellent (even if the art is usually pretty underwhelming). In
addition, there are a number of ‘craft ‘n’ art’ shops, many of which
are pretty banal, although the jewellery shops are quite good.

Bett Gallery is a commercial gallery, and part of the Hobart furniture. It shows quite a mixture of art, although painting seems to be the predominant medium of choice. They also favour male artists [2013 update: in the last year there has been a significant change to the gender balance]. In
addition to their shop front in North Hobart, they show work in
Raincheck Lounge, a coffee shop just down the road, although these shows
tend to exhibit the work of younger, emerging artists.

The
Museum of Old and New Art is, in the words of Maria Kunda, "hip in a way that is a little bit goth, a little bit country and a little bit rock n' roll." (Artlink, vol31 no1, 2011) It opened in January this year, and if you're visiting Hobart, there's no way you can give this museum a miss. Catch the ferry to the museum from the Hobart waterfront, drink a martini on arrival in the void bar, and get lost in the art. The exhibitions change regularly, so check the website for current information, ferry times and entry costs. The associated MONA FOMA sound and music festival takes place in January every year. [2013 update: this year MONA introduced a winter counterpart to the festival: Dark MOFO]